Olympus Stylus Epic

Just bought another camera. An Olympus Stylus Epic. I’ve been wanting a pocketable point-n-shoot that I can always have with me. After hearing all of the rave reviews (by other Leica owners, no less), I decided on the Olympus for $75.00. I didn’t want a digital because it would’ve cost me $400-$600 to get similar image quality, and probably even more shutter lag.

Here’s what I like…

• Small. Really does fit in my pocket.
• Cheap! Helluva shooter for $75.00
• Reasonably well-built and the sliding, water-resistant lens cover may come in handy.
• Fast, sharp 2.8 lens.
• Selectible spot metering.
• Auto exposure leans toward wide aperture, reducing DOF when appropriate
• Metered fill flash seems to work very well.

What I don’t like…

• Tiny flash mode buttons. I need to use a fingernail to press them.
• Settings revert to default each time the cover is closed.
• Viewfinder is very small. It sometimes takes a second or two for my eye to find it.

So far, after only a couple rolls, I’m reasonably impressed. Focus seems spot on, metering does a good job, lens seems sharp and contrasty, and the fast lens makes available light work possible.